Walker Jacobs was recently promoted to executive vice president of Turner/ SI Digital Ad Sales. Read the release. Jacobs, who was previously svp of Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital division, has been, and remains, an outspoken critic on the use of ad networks by large publishers.

AdExchanger.com: Looking over the past 12 months, what has surprised you about the digital ad industry?

WJ: I continue to be surprised at the rate so many other premium publishers are perpetuating the commoditization of their advertising inventory.

In my opinion, it's disheartening that established media players accept ads that cherry-pick their inventory and further fragment their audiences, ultimately undermining the investment sponsors make with their sites. In this system, it seems that value is determined by the person who is being reached, with no consideration for the environment and programming with which they're being reached. When audience is the primary currency, both premium publishers and advertisers lose.

At Turner/SI Digital, our strategy will continue to hold our best advertising clients as true partners; providing trusted, branded environments where they can activate their campaigns at scale, with the reach and engagement that delivers the audience we represent, and notably not one that has been picked over.

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The reality, whether Mr. Jacobs wants to believe it or not, is that the days where "premium" simply meant an established brand name are on their way out. Today's polygamous consumers and performance-focused advertisers are rendering that model obsolete. Instead, the "premium" of the future will be the intersection of brand safety, campaign results, and scale. Name brand alone will no longer suffice.